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Sunday, April 7, 2013

Mets Opening Day

April 1st, 2013

After a long off
season that dealt us with hurricanes and snowstorms of epic proportions. Spring
has finally sprung and Baseball is back. Every year I look forward to attending
Mets Opening day mainly because we leave the past behind us and any anger we have
we try not to bring going into the new season. This feeling of forgiveness and
acceptance usually only lasts about the first inning but we get an E for effort
that day for trying. I usually go with super Mets jinx Laurie but she was a
sell out this year and decided to spend the week lounging in the sun in another
country. Fellow TBB Serena was not an option since the Mets and Yankees decided
to be life ruiners and set the games for the same exact time making it
impossible for us to attend both Opening Day festivities. Someone really needs
to work on this teleportation sh*t. I decide to bring with me my dear old man.
Pops joins us for Opening day and so my story begins.

We leave for Citi
Field at 11:00 am for the 1:10 game against the San Diego Padres. I usually get
to Citi Field around 10 am on Opening day and spend hours chugging beer and
grilling in the parking lot but I knew tailgating with Pops was not an option.
On the way to Citi Field disgruntle Mets fan that my father is starts with his
disapproval of the Dickey trade. I try to change the subject and say “How many
homeruns do you think we will see today Dad?” Dad says:” A lot from San Diego” Way
to be optimistic I see where I get my sarcastic attitude from.

When I get off the
exit to the stadium there are many officers of the law directing traffic. Pops
decides to flag one over from doing his job to flash the officer a distant
family members PBA card thinking that this will allow him to park in “Special
Parking” FAIL! This is embarrassing moment number one folks. Embarrassing
moment number two is not far behind. At the entrance into the ballpark while
getting padded down by security Pops makes an inappropriate joke that I can not
share but it did make the security guard laugh so no harm done. Our free
giveaway is a magnetic schedule that I was not impressed with. In fact last
year when the Mets emailed me a survey about the free giveaways I rated this
giveaway a one. On a scale of one being the worst. Clearly my opinion means nothing.
We stop on the main level to take this sweet father/daughter photo under the
scoreboard and made sure to get the All Star Game sign it , cause that’s not
advertised in every nook and granny of the stadium.( Insert your awwwwwwwww! for the photo)

This is our view
from our overpriced seats. They were not a bad view at all I just know that
during the season these seats are $12 as opposed to the $64 you were charging
them for Opening Day.

On the field before
the game started they honored 500 first responders that tended to Hurricane
Sandy victims. They included members of the Military, Police and Fired
department.In center field volunteers
from Habitat for Humanity formed a house shape arrangement. There was also a
moment of silence for both Hurricane Sandy and Newton Town victims .

They proceed to
announce TOWSNBN and the 2013 Mets.

Actress Emma Rossum
from the television show Shameless
sang the National Anthem. She did an amazing job. I was unaware she had such a
beautiful voice. Some people have all the luck she gets to be hot AND talented
oh and let’s face it she is on a hit show so she has money too! I’m so jelly as
those annoying teenagers would say.

It is at this time
that I should tell you that I bought myself a cool new camera with outstanding
zoom. I like to think TOWSNBN just realized this. Look at his reaction of
frustration to the news.

It’s about that
time where my stomach decides that it needs food now otherwise there is no
telling what will happen. I tell Dad that I’ll be right back that I am getting
foods. Dad pulls $20 out of his wallet and says “Get me a hamburger and
whatever else you want” My heart melts he has no clue what a wildebeest his
daughter is furthermore he clearly does not realize just how much food is at
the stadium. While I am away I am told that Rusty Staub threw the first pitch.

I get back to the
seats to find my father not in our original seats and chewing some lady’s ear
off about the Dickey trade yet again. She seems to agree with him. My father
informs me that he moved so a family could all sit together. I got my dad his
hamburger and I got a cheeseburger and a beer in an All Star Game collector’s
cup (I should tell you that at the beer stand I see ASG Budweiser coming soon.
I think to myself “Oooh a new beer!!” It takes me until Friday nights game that
I realize ASG stands for All Star Game.) Dad asks for change. I don’t have the
heart to tell him that I actually had to put $6 in. After I confess Dad
reminisces about when he would go to Shea Stadium and how hot dogs outside the
stadium were 10 cents and hot dogs in the stadium were 50 cents. Well at least
there is consistency in the rapping of wallets over the decades. Pops and I are
not impressed with the burgers at all! They were burnt and small. I got the
burgers at one of the concession stands by our section that’s what I get for
being lazy and not making the trip down to the Shake Shack.

It’s finally game
time and the pitching match up was Johnathon Niese for the Mets and Edinson
Volquez for the Padres. At Daniel Murphy’s first at bat “Happy Birthday “was
song to him. It was orchestrated by The 7 Line and his army. Well played!! I
tried to video tape it unfortunately the two drunk boys in the back round over
power my efforts but I definitely heard it faintly from my seats.

The Mets scored the
first run on Ruben Tejada’s RBI double in the 2nd and John Buck
scores making it 1-0. Niese singles bringing Tejada home and the score is now
2-0. My father and I look at each other in amazement.

In the top of the 3RD
San Diego gets on the board when Carlos Quentin singles on a ground ball
sending Chris Denorfia home. It’s now 2-1.

In the bottom of
the 3RD Myrlon Byrd Singles and TOWSNBN scores it is now 3-1

Lot’s of hitting is
going on I am getting so confused I look around to make sure I was at Citi
Field watching the Mets. John Buck then singles and Byrd scored making the
score 4-1. We continue to scratch our heads and rub our eyes all while enjoying
this strange feeling of winning. I decide I am still hungry and send dad on a
run to get me more beer and a hot dog. He looks at me and shakes his head as he
says to me “This is why your not married you’ll eat the poor guy out of house
and hold”

In the bottom of
the 4th more hitting is had for the Mets. Murphy singles on a line
drive Collin Cowgill goes to 3rd and Niese scores it is now 5-1. TOWSNBN
grounds out and Cowgill comes home 6-1. Byrd singles to left field and now the
birthday boy scores. Score stands at 7-1. I am speechless at this point. I have
no words. The lady my dad was chatting it up with insists my father is good
luck. I contemplate leaving him in section 531 and forwarding his mail to
flushing.

It is now the top
of the 5th inning and my father would like to leave the game. He is
cold and complaining about the wind. In his defense he was just getting over
bronchitis and he has this thing with traffic he kind of hates it. I buy my time by making ridiculous bets with
him. I tell him if Lucas Duda hits a homerun we can leave. I know this is not
happening so I am safe for now. Look at what “A DUD “did in the game at this
point. (For those who don’t know my pops says Lucas Duda is A DUD and that’s
what his name is spelled backwards) Ike Davis is not getting off the hook so
easy. Look at what both clowns contributed so far.

In the top of the 6th
Yonder Alonso of the Padres tacks on another run by hitting a homerun it is now
7-2 and I decide to cave in to my father’s demand after the 6th inning
is over. We walk back to the car blast the heat because being so close to god
in those seats we need to defrost. As we defrost and pull out of the stadium we
hear uproar. My dad assumes the Mets bullpen has f’ed it up and it is now a tie
game which would make sense. I turn the radio to the game and find that Collin
Cowgill had just hit a grand slam. I turn to Dad and snarl at him. He says
“Just think it’s going to look so much better when you see it tonight on the
replay “

See it takes talent to wear white and not a onion fell off the hot dog! If that does not make the deal I don't know what will. Shhhhhhhhh don't jinx it . Who are these Mets and whatever they've done with them who cares it's working for now.. LOL